Carpenters, at-home handy-men and women, and others frequently use a plurality of tools to accomplish a task, such as driving a screw, as part of the accomplishment of an overall project. An example of a common project is the project of hanging a picture or mirror on a wall. Frequently, the weight of the picture or mirror to be hung on the wall mandates that the picture or mirror be hung from a screw or nail driven into a stud behind finished drywall. A stud detector is a known device that enables a user to determine the location of studs behind the finished drywall.
It is frequently inconvenient, when a person is attempting to accomplish such a task, for the person to realize that in assembling the required tools to accomplish the task the person neglected to provide a marking instrument, such as a pencil, for use in marking the location of the stud. This inconvenience is heightened if the person is on top of a ladder or in some other out-of-the-way position, from which there is no easy access to a workbench, desk or other location at which a pencil could be found. The person accomplishing the task must thus climb down the ladder and locate a pencil, then climb back up the ladder to continue the task.
The aforementioned project is but one example of a project where a marking instrument is necessary in conjunction with conventional tools. In addition to the requirement to assemble the proper tools and instruments, it is also frequently necessary and inconvenient for a person, when in a precarious position, such as at or near the top of a ladder, to maneuver a plurality of instruments, including, for example, some or all of the following: a screwdriver and screws, a hammer and nails, a level, a stud detector, a tape measure, a paint brush and paint, or any other set of tools and materials associated with a project, while simultaneously maneuvering a pencil or other writing instrument in order to mark a stud point, to mark a level point, to record a measurement of length, or for any other purpose for which a pencil is conventionally employed during a home project. It is not uncommon for a pencil to be precariously positioned on a ladder step or shelf while the person performs a task with another tool, and for the pencil to then roll off the step or shelf while the task is being performed, requiring the person to interrupt the task in order to retrieve the pencil.